Chile cracks down on a transnational criminal network that used cryptocurrency to launder money, with the amount involved exceeding $13.5 million

PANews reported on July 3rd that according to Bitcoin.com, Chilean authorities recently uncovered a money laundering network of the transnational criminal organization "Tren de Aragua" using cryptocurrencies and arrested 52 suspects. The organization transferred illegal proceeds to eight countries including Venezuela, Colombia, and the United States through bank accounts and crypto assets, with the amount involved exceeding $13.5 million. Investigations show that the money laundering came from criminal activities such as human trafficking, murder, and kidnapping. Mexican security experts pointed out that the organization imitated the methods of Mexican drug cartels and used the difficult-to-trace characteristics of cryptocurrencies to cover up the flow of funds. Last year, the U.S. Treasury Department listed the organization as a transnational criminal group and accused it of money laundering through cryptocurrencies.